Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters Bono and Julie Taymor exchange a kiss at the opening of “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark†in 2011.A federal judge has set a May 28 trial date for director Julie Taymor, Bono and the Edge of U2, and the producers of the Broadway musical “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark†to battle in court over a lawsuit stemming from the spectacular implosion of their years-long collaboration on the show.
Judge Katherine B. Forrest of Federal District Court in Manhattan ordered on Friday that the parties may conduct discovery through May 1 and that “trial is and will be on May 28, 2013,†adding that no further meetings with the judge were necessary. The order came four days after the judge, during a closed-door session with the various sides, expressed frustration that they had not been able to settle disputes over copyright control and profits from the show in spite of coming to terms in principle in August.
One person familiar with the settlement negotiations said on Tuesday that the sides were at an impasse, and that the hold-up had less to do with compensating Ms. Taymor than with creative rights and control of the “Spider-Man,†whose producers are now considering future overseas tours and other runs.The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to avoid antagonizing the parties involved in the lawsuit, said that the sides were still talking and that a settlement was still possible.
A lawyer for Ms. Taymor declined to comment on Tuesday; lawyers for the producers did not return phone messages seeking comment.
The lawsuit is primarily between Ms. Taymor, the musical’s former director and one of its script writers, and the producers and “Spider-Man†composers, Bono and the Edge; the producers, with the composers’ blessing, fired Ms. Taymor in March 2011. She sued in November on copyright grounds, saying the producers were making money off her ideas and script and owed her more than $1 million. The producers then counter-sued, saying that they had ousted her for breach of contract.
“Spider-Man,†by far the most expensive musical in the history of Broadway with a $75 million budget, opened in June 2011 to largely negative reviews but has gone on to be a fan favorite, grossing more than $1 million a week. Its weekly running costs are quite high on Broadway, however, at roughly $1 million, and ticket sales have dipped slightly in recent months.
